La Roulette Noire

The ceremony was held inside La Roulette Noire on the top floor. The high-rise building's top floor was exclusively rented out along with the rooftop to The Order. Only vampires or strigoi (as The Order preferred to call them) would be permitted entry upon producing the cursive handwritten calling card made with a drop of Safari's blood.

Neculai moved past a well-dressed guard on his left who accepted his card with a sneer looking over the name on the card and back at him before nodding him on and turning his attention to the next person in line. Neculai made his way deeper into the lobby standing still as he observed the crowd roaming about.

He was surprised to see so many humans at this event. Surely Vulcan would have something to say about this. Neculai was sure. The Order held strict rules and one such rule is, what you do outside The Order in your own free time is up to you as long as you keep the strigoi secret.

However, once you bring it before The Order, then all bets are off and The Order will get involved as they see fit. From what Neculai could see some of the humans present were not here merely for feeding.

Neculai would wait to see what would happen tonight, he had a feeling that tonight would be unusual. A woman approached him, placing a soft-looking hand at her throat as she leaned her head to the side. Her long graceful neck was exposed and he could see the vein pumping with blood, her life force. He had fed already for the night, but he couldn't pass up this offering.

He leaned in and placed his lips on the cool skin. His fangs extended and he sunk them deep into the woman's throat. He could hear her whimper as he savored the taste of her. He continued to drink, wrapping an arm around her waist while pulling her close. He was losing himself in the feeding when a hand gripped his arm and pulled him away from the woman. His eyes followed the blood trailing down the woman's slender neck. He shook off the hand as the woman was taken away by a human puppet who was said to be there to protect the humans and make sure none died as the vamps feed throughout the night.

Neculai turned frosted green eyes and growled at the person who interrupted his fun. It was Andrei LaBello, Vinna's brother. Great, just what he didn't need right now. Andrei stood there in all his righteous glory. Tall at six feet three inches, with dark, neatly cut hair, wearing a three-piece triple black suit with a small piece of red cloth sticking out of the front jacket pocket of his suit, and on top of insults another ancient being in a room full of ancient vampires. He hated it. Andrei was looking upon Neculai distastefully.

"Ah, Neculai. It's good to see you could join us tonight." He all but sneered."I thought maybe you would skip the event and The Order would allow Safari to hunt for you along with the other vampires in the city who chose to miss tonight's gathering. " He expressed with a small gleam in his dark eyes. Neculai didn't respond and Andrei with a small smile just shrugged his shoulders. "I guess you won't have the luxury of being hunted by the very gifted Safari this time."

"I know, wouldn't you love to see that?" Neculai responded dryly, pulling himself back together. Andrei pulled the same red handkerchief he had been staring at moments before from his jacket pocket and handed it to Neculai. He ignored it and whipped his lips on the back of his sleeve. Andrei rolled his eyes and mumbled to himself.

"Not everyone is a self-righteous prig. It's hard to follow in your footsteps, Andrei." Neculai stated casually. He could see the fury in Andrei's expression. Andrei stepped closer to him, practically nose to nose.

"Well if you gave a thought to anyone besides yourself maybe you wouldn't feel judged. And don't ever think you can speak to me that way again, because the day you do will be your last. " He stated. At just that moment Vinna approached. She placed a restraining hand on Andrei's shoulder.

"Hello Neculai, it's good to see you again." She expressed. Neculai lifted a brow before responding. She was good at distractions.

"Yes, it is good to see you again as well, Vinna. It's been all of what a few hours since I last saw you, right?" Neculai offered, watching the shocked expression run across Andrei's face as he turned to his sister.

"You saw Neculai, sister? Today?". She was looking at Andrei as if frightened. "You told me you were out looking for humans for the event tonight." Vinna watched Andrei closely as she removed her hand from his shoulder. She sighed, then cleared her throat.

"Yes, I saw Neculai today. We had lunch today." She finished. Andrei rolled his eyes.

"And I'm sure more than that was had today. " He turned furious eyes to Neculai.

"Do you want to know why I don't approve of you, Neculai?" Neculai shrugged, he didn't care one way or another.

"I know you don't care, and that is the problem. You only want to enjoy yourself and screw the consequences. You don't care about anyone, especially my sister. Damn, I don't think you even care about yourself.

You are the absolute worst of the vampire world and we would all be better off without you." Neculai stared at the pure hatred on Andrei's face, and Vinna looked troubled. She reached out a hand for Neculai's hand but drew her hand away at her brother's stern look. Her brother turned away from her and stared back at Neculai.

"I want you to stay away from Vinna or I will kill you here and be damned with the consequences." He gave the ultimatum. Vinna gasped, placing a hand to her mouth as tears welled in her eyes.

Neculai turned and stalked away from the idiot. He walked through the throngs of vampires, some with humans feeding. He didn't pause as he normally would have done to indulge in the fun. Instead, he headed to the first secluded space he could find.

That led him to an opening with stairs on his right. He took the stairs two at a time which brought him to a balcony. He looked around relieved to find himself on the rooftop. He pulled off the expensive jacket he had on and tossed it to a nearby chair.

Sticking his hands in his pocket he paced back and forth. The night was warm. The stars shone brightly overhead. Neculai glanced up once noticing the full moon before pacing across the roof while deep in thought.

"If you need the exercise there are much better ways to get it." A smoky voice with an amused tone said from somewhere behind Neculai.

Neculai whirled around haven't heard anyone follow him up the stairs. He could only assume the interloper had been on the rooftop already and he failed to notice. He looked around to find the smoky voice and discovered a woman sitting on a cream-colored sofa. She was leaning back on the sofa and appeared relaxed.

One arm draped over the back of the sofa, as she sat at an angle, one ankle tucked beneath the other leg. Black braids adorned with small gold and silver metal cuffs that shone brightly throughout every strain, which she had pulled tight into a bun on top of her head. Her mahogany doe-eye stare made him uncomfortable. He frowned before moving closer to her.

"Are you offering?" He quizzed. The cool look she was accessing him with changed into a radiant pearly white smile. She laughed.

" Maybe another time." She replied after several chuckles. He cocked his head. He had seen her before, her face was slowly coming into focus.

"I remember you." He said, with his head still cocked to the side while observing her. Her smile got bigger causing a dimple to peek out of the left side of her cheek.

"I was hoping you remembered me." She expressed.

She stood and slowly moved past Neculai to stand at the balcony railing. She moved each step provocatively, her hips swinging back and forth seductively. Amused green eyes followed her movement. Calculating his next decision he followed her and stood next to her at the railing. He turned to her, leaning his elbow across the rail. She was silent for several moments before she began to speak.

"I hoped I would see you here tonight." She said, casting a side eye at him. He frowned.

"You did?" He asked, perplexed.

She nodded then turned to him. The light from the moon behind them cast a glow across her cocoa skin. A dimple from her left cheek peeked out making her look like she was holding in laughter that might burst out of her mouth at any moment.

"Truthfully, I knew you would be here. I deliberately sought you out." She stated causing his eyebrows to rise in mockery.

"Really?" He skeptically asked as he watched her nod in assurance. Before he added, "You are human if I'm not mistaken." He quizzed with his head inching closer to her as he sniffed the air before her.

She didn't reply to the obvious. She knew it was pointless, he had her pegged the moment she approached him. With his head only inches from her own, his emerald eyes sparkled as he returned her brown stare. They stood in tense silence for several moments before a small smile moved upon his lips.

"What's your name?" He asks with amusement ringing in his voice. Finally, she offered a smile back. He was so close she could feel the slightly chilled air of his breath on her face.

"Of course, I never got a chance to tell you my name that day." She reflected. He leaned away from her but didn't step back. He folded his arms across his chest waiting.

"It's Deja. Deja Sky James." She finally revealed. He watched her, and an image finally settled in his memory. He snapped a finger.

"I remember, you were the young girl being attacked by that deranged fellow." He said.

The smile he noticed that lit up her face a moment ago disappeared immediately replaced with a frown. As the memories came flooding back with her failure to acquire the object she had been sent for. However, she shook off the unsavory memory.

"I've spent a great deal of time looking for you. I had begun to think I had made you up." She expressed.

He watched how she spoke, the way her full lips moved, and the slight swallow that followed when she noticed he watched her lips. His eyes shifted back to her's and he chuckled. There was a nervous look that had settled in her eyes.

So, she wasn't afraid of him being a vampire but was uncomfortable with him noticing her femininity. Surprises, surprises.

"Miss...?" He asked and waited. She nodded in affirmative. He continued.

"Well, Ms. James, why don't you explain why you were looking for me?" He encouraged her. Deja reached out, placing a small hand over Neculai's much larger one.

"Listen, what I have to tell you, I can't do it here, we don't have much time." She said with an anxious look towards the door he had entered not that long ago. He sighed.

"Look, Ms. James..." He began before she cut him off.

"It's Deja." She supplied. He nodded.

"Deja, I doubt we will see each other again after tonight, so if you have something to say, then you better speak up." He finished. His tone was relaxed and he hadn't tried to shake her hand off his own. He watched her, her eyes gave nothing away.

"I don't have time right now, they will be looking for me soon. I must go, but we will speak again before this night is over." She said moving away from him. Neculai watched the strange woman leave the patio, an unnerving feeling settling over him...